Semiconductor device, semiconductor system and method for operating semiconductor device

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor device includes a first control circuit controlling a first child clock source to receive a clock signal from a parent clock source, a first channel management (CM) circuit transmitting a first clock request to the first control circuit in response to a second clock request received from a first IP block, a second control circuit controlling a second child clock source to receive the clock signal from the parent clock source, a second CM circuit transmitting a third clock request to the second control circuit in response to a fourth clock request received from a second IP block, and a power management unit transmitting a power control command to the first CM circuit and the second CM circuit to control a power state of the first IP block and the second IP block. The first CM circuit and the second exchange signals to maintain a master-slave relationship.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. application Ser. No. 16/393,106 filed Apr. 24, 2019, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/414,819 filed Jan. 25, 2017, and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,303,203 on May 28, 2019, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/286,882 filed on Jan. 25, 2016 in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/286,860 filed on Jan. 25, 2016 in the United States Patent and Trademark Office, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0010945 filed on Jan. 24, 2017 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2017-0000609 filed on Jan. 3, 2017 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosures of each is incorporated by reference in their entireties.

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor device, a semiconductor system, and a method for operating a semiconductor device.

2. Discussion of Related Art

A System-on-Chip (SOC) may include one or more intellectual property blocks (IP blocks), a clock management unit (CMU), and a power management unit (PMU). The clock management unit provides a clock signal to one or more of the IP blocks. Further, the clock management unit stops providing the clock signal to the IP block that is not executing, thereby making it possible to reduce the unnecessary waste of resources in a system employing the SoC.

SUMMARY

At least one exemplar embodiment of the present inventive concept provides a semiconductor device for executing power management using a master-slave relationship where a clock signal control is managed by hardware.

At least one embodiment of the present inventive concept provides a semiconductor system for executing power management using a master-slave relationship where a clock signal control is managed by hardware.

At least one embodiment of the present inventive concept provides a method of operating a semiconductor device for executing power management using a master-slave relationship where a clock signal control is managed by hardware.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, a semiconductor device includes a first clock control circuit, a first channel management circuit, a second clock control circuit, a second channel management circuit, and power management unit (PMU). The PMU may be implemented by a circuit. The first clock control circuit controls a first child clock source to receive a clock signal from a parent clock source. The first channel management circuit transmits a first clock request to the first clock control circuit in response to a first intellectual property (IP) block clock request received from a first IP block. The second clock control circuit controls a second child clock source to receive the clock signal from the parent clock source. The second channel management circuit transmits a second clock request to the second clock control circuit in response to a second IP block clock request received from a second IP block. The power management unit (PMU) transmits a power control command to the first channel management circuit and the second channel management circuit to control a power state of the first IP block and the second IP block. The first channel management circuit transmits a third clock request to the second channel management circuit, and the second channel management circuit transmits an acknowledgement of receipt of the third clock request to the first channel management circuit, to maintain a master-slave relationship.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, there is provided a semiconductor device including a first channel management circuit, a second channel management circuit, and a power management unit. The first channel management circuit provides a clock signal to a first intellectual property block (IP block). The second channel management circuit receives a clock request from the first channel management circuit and provides a clock signal to the second IP block in accordance with the clock request. The power management unit (PMU) transmits a power control command to the first channel management circuit and the second channel management circuit to control power states of the first IP block and the second IP block.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, there is provided a system-on-chip (SoC) comprising the above described semiconductor device, first IP block, and second IP block. The SoC may further include an external device (e.g., a memory device, a display device, a network device, a storage device, and an input/output device), wherein the SoC controls the external device.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, there is provided a method for operating a semiconductor device including: a first clock management circuit transmitting a clock request to a second channel management circuit, the first clock management circuit providing a clock signal to a first intellectual property block (IP block); the second clock management circuit providing a clock signal to a second IP block based on the clock request; the second channel management circuit transmitting an acknowledgement of receipt of the clock request to the first channel management circuit; and the second clock management circuit controlling a power state of the second IP block based on a power control command received from a power management unit (PMU) circuit.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present inventive concept will become more apparent by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an exemplary operation of the semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an exemplary operation of a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining an exemplary operation of a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIG. 6 is a timing diagram for explaining an exemplary operation of the semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic diagrams for explaining a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIG. 9 is a timing diagram for explaining an exemplary operation of the semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams for explaining a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept;

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a semiconductor system to which a semiconductor device and a method of operating the semiconductor device according to at least one embodiment of the present inventive concept is applicable; and

FIGS. 15 to 17 are exemplary semiconductor systems to which the semiconductor device and the method of operating the semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present inventive concept are applicable.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 1, a semiconductor device 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept includes a clock management unit (CMU) 100, intellectual property blocks (IP blocks) 200 and 210, and a power management unit (PMU) 300. The CMU may be implemented by a circuit. In an exemplary embodiment, the semiconductor device 1 is implemented as a system-on-chip (SoC), but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The clock management unit 100 provides a clock signal to the IP blocks 200 and 210. While the embodiment depicted in FIG. 1 shows two IP blocks, the inventive concept is not limited thereto. For example, there may be additional IP blocks or just a single IP block in an alternate embodiment. In this embodiment, the clock management unit 100 includes clock components 120 a, 120 b, 120 c, 120 d, 120 e, 120 f and 120 g, channel management circuits 130 and 132, and a clock management unit controller (CMU controller) 110. The clock components 120 a, 120 b, 120 c, 120 d, 120 e, 120 f and 120 g generate a clock signal to be provided to the IP blocks 200 and 210, and the channel management circuits 130 and 132 are disposed between the clock components 120 f and 120 g and the IP blocks 200 and 210 to provide a communication channel CH between the clock management unit 100 and the IP blocks 200 and 210. Further, the clock management unit controller 110 provides the clock signals to the IP blocks 200 and 210, using the clock components 120 a, 120 b, 120 c, 120 d, 120 e, 120 f and 120 g.

In an embodiment, the clock component 120 a is implemented by a phase-locked loop (PLL) controller. In an embodiment, the PLL controller receives from an oscillator OSC, a constant or variable frequency signal oscillated by the oscillator OSC and a PLL signal output by a PLL, and outputs one of the two received signals based on a certain condition. When the components need the PLL signal, the PLL controller outputs the PLL signal. When the components need the oscillator signal, the PLL controller outputs the oscillator signal. For example, the PLL controller can be implemented using a ring oscillator or a crystal oscillator. In an embodiment, the clock component 120 b is a clock multiplexer unit that receives a first clock signal CLK1 from the first clock component 120 a and a second clock signal CLK2 from an external source (e.g., an external CMU).

In an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, the communication channel CH provided by the channel management circuits 130 and 132 is provided to conform to a Low Power Interface (LPI), a Q-channel interface (ARC) or a P-channel interface of the ARM company, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, a communication channel CH conforming to an arbitrary communication protocol defined according to various purposes may be provided.

Each of the clock components 120 a, 120 b, 120 c, 120 d, 120 e, 120 f and 120 g includes clock sources 124 a, 124 b, 124 c, 124 d, 124 e, 124 f and 124 g, and clock control circuits 122 a, 122 b, 122 c, 122 d, 122 e, 122 f and 122 g that control each of the clock sources 124 a, 124 b, 124 c, 124 d, 124 e, 124 f and 124 g. The clock sources 124 a, 124 b, 124 c, 124 d, 124 e, 124 f and 124 g, for example, may include a multiplexing circuit (MUX circuit), a clock dividing circuit, a short stop circuit, or a clock gating circuit. The MUX circuit may be used to receive multiple clock signals as input and select one of the received clock signals as output. The clock dividing circuit may be used to divide an input clock signal by a value to generate a divided clock signal. The value may be an integer as an example. The clock dividing circuit may be used to change the frequency of the input clock signal. In an embodiment, the short stop circuit temporally sets a clock signal to one logic level (e.g., typically a low level). For example, the clock signal output by the short stop circuit would include a first period with pulses from the input clock signal, a second period with no pulses (e.g., a constant low level), and then a third period with pulses from the input clock signal. The length of the second period can be varied based on the application.

The clock components 120 a, 120 b, 120 c, 120 d, 120 e, 120 f and 120 g form a parent-child relationship with each other. In the present embodiment, the clock component 120 a is a parent of the clock component 120 b, and the clock component 120 b is a child of the clock component 120 a and a parent of the clock component 120 c. Also, the clock component 120 e is a parent of the two clock components 120 f and 120 g, and the clock components 120 f and 120 g are children of the clock component 120 e. The clock component 120 a disposed to be closest to a phase locked loop (PLL) may be referred to as a root clock component, and the clock components 120 f and 120 g disposed closest to the IP blocks 200 and 210 may be referred to as leaf clock components. Such a parent-child relationship is also inevitably formed among the clock control circuits 122 a, 122 b, 122 c, 122 d, 122 e, 122 f and 122 g and among the clock sources 124 a, 124 b, 124 c, 124 d, 124 e, 124 f and 124 g based on the parent-child relationship among the clock component 120 a, 120 b, 120 c, 120 d, 120 e, 120 f and 120 g.

The clock control circuits 122 b, 122 c, 122 d, 122 e, 122 f and 122 g transmit a clock request (REQ) signal to a parent clock control circuit. The clock control circuits 122 a, 122 b, 122 c, and 122 d receive the REQ signal from a child clock control circuit. The clock control circuit 122 e receives a REQ signal from each of two children clock control circuits, namely the clock control circuit 122 f and the clock control circuit 122 g. The clock control circuits 122 f and 122 g receive the REQ signal from the channel management circuits 130 and 132, respectively. The clock control circuits 122 a, 122 b, 122 c, and 122 d transmit an acknowledgment (ACK) signal to a child clock control circuit. The clock control circuits 122 b, 122 c, 122 d, and 122 e receive the ACK signal from a parent clock control circuit. The clock control circuit 122 e transmits a first ACK signal to the clock control circuit 122 f and a second ACK signal to the clock control circuit 122 g. The clock control circuit 122 f and clock control circuit 122 g transmit an ACK signal to the channel management circuits 130 and 132, respectively. The clock sources 124 a, 124 b, 124 c, 124 d, 124 e, 124 f and 124 g provide a clock signal to the IP blocks 200 and 210.

For example, if the IP block 200 does not require the clock signal, for example if the IP block 200 needs to be in a sleep state, the clock management unit 100 stops providing the clock signal to the IP block 200.

In an exemplary embodiment, the channel management circuit 130 transmits a first signal to the IP block 200 indicating that provision of the clock signal to the IP block 200 is to stop, under the control of the clock management unit 100 or the clock management unit controller 110. Upon receiving the first signal, the IP block 200 transmits a second signal to the channel management circuit 130 indicating that the clock signal can be stopped immediately or stopped after a particular event. For example, the second signal can indicate that the clock signal may be stopped after completion of a job (e.g., a command, a program, etc.) being processed by the IP block 200. After receiving the second signal from the IP block 200, the channel management circuit 130 requests the clock component 120 f corresponding to its parent to stop the provision of the clock signal. For example, the channel management circuit 130 can make this request by sending a REQ signal to clock component 120 f.

As an example, if the communication channel CH provided by the channel management circuit 130 conforms to the Q-channel interface, the channel management circuit 130 transmits a QREQn signal having a first logic value (e.g., logic low, hereinafter, indicated by L) as the first signal to the IP block 200. Thereafter, the channel management circuit 130 receives, for example, a QACCEPTn signal having the first logic value as the second signal from the IP block 200, and then transmits the clock request (REQ), for example, having the first logic value to the clock component 120 f. In this case, the clock request (REQ) having the first logic value refers to “clock provision stop request”.

Upon receiving the clock request (REQ) having the first logic value (e.g., the clock provision stop request) from the channel management circuit 130, the clock control circuit 122 f disables the clock source 124 f (e.g., a clock gating circuit) to stop the provision of the clock signal, and the IP block 200 may enter the sleep mode accordingly. In this process, the clock control circuit 122 f may provide the channel management circuit 130 with an ACK signal having the first logic value. It should be noted that, even though the channel management circuit 130 receives the ACK signal having the first logic value after transmitting the clock provision stop request having the first logic value, the stop of the clock provision from the clock source 124 f is not ensured. However, the above-mentioned ACK signal means that the clock control circuit 122 f recognizes that the clock component 120 f which is the parent of the channel management circuit 130 does not need to further provide a clock signal to the channel management circuit 130.

In an exemplary embodiment, the clock control circuit 122 f of the clock component 120 f transmits a clock request (REQ) having the first logic value to the clock control circuit 122 e of the clock component 120 e corresponding to its parent. If the IP block 210 also does not require a clock signal, for example, when the clock control circuit 122 e receives a clock stop request from the clock control circuit 122 g, the clock control circuit 122 e disables the clock source 124 e (e.g., a clock dividing circuit) to stop the provision of the clock signal. As a result, the IP blocks 200 and 210 may enter the sleep mode. For example, in this embodiment, the clock source 124 f does not stop the provision of the clock signal until it receives an ACK signal having the first logic value from both child clock control circuits 122 f and 122 g.

Such an operation may be similarly performed on other clock control circuits 122 a, 122 b, 122 c and 122 d.

In an exemplary embodiment, even though the clock control circuit 122 f of the clock component 120 f transmits the clock request (REQ) signal having the first logic value to the clock control circuit 122 e of the clock component 120 e corresponding to its parent, if the IP block 210 is in the running state, the clock control circuit 122 e does not disable the clock source 124 e. Thereafter, only when the IP block 210 no longer requires a clock signal, the clock control circuit 122 e disables the clock source 124 e, and transmits the clock request (REQ) having the first logic value to the clock control circuit 120 d corresponding to its parent. That is, the clock control circuit 122 e disables the clock source 124 e, only when receiving a clock provision stop request from both of the clock control circuits 122 f and 122 g corresponding to the child.

In an exemplary embodiment, when all the clock sources 124 a, 124 b, 124 c, 124 d, 124 e and 124 f are disabled during the sleep state of the IP blocks 200 and 210 and then the IP block 200 enters the running state, the clock management unit 100 resumes the provision of the clock signal to the IP blocks 200 and 210.

The channel management circuit 130 transmits the clock request (REQ) signal having a second logic value (e.g., logic high, hereinafter indicated by H) to the clock control circuit 122 f of the clock component 120 f corresponding to its parent, and waits for the acknowledgment (ACK) from the clock control circuit 122 f. Here, the clock request (REQ) having the second logic value refers to a “clock provision request”, and the acknowledgment (ACK) signal of the clock supply request means that the clock provision has resumed from the clock source 124 f. In an embodiment, the clock control circuit 122 f does not immediately enable the clock source 124 f (e.g., a clock gating circuit) and waits for provision of the clock signal from the parent. In an embodiment, the clock control circuit 122 f waits until it receives an ACK signal from the parent before enabling the clock source 124 f.

Next, the clock control circuit 122 f transmits a clock request (REQ) having a second logic value (e.g., a clock provision request) to the clock control circuit 122 e corresponding to its parent, and waits for the acknowledgment (ACK) from the clock control circuit 122 e. Such an operation may be similarly performed on the clock control circuits 122 a, 122 b, 122 c and 122 d.

The clock control circuit 122 a, which is a root clock component having received the clock request (REQ) having the second logic value from the clock control circuit 122 b, enables the clock source 124 a (e.g., a multiplexing circuit), and transmits the acknowledgment (ACK) signal to the clock control circuit 122 b. When the clock sources 124 b, 124 c, 124 d, 124 d and 124 e are sequentially enabled in such a manner, the clock control circuit 122 e transmits the acknowledgment (ACK) signal indicating that clock provision has resumed from the clock source 124 e, to the clock control circuit 122 f.

Upon receiving the acknowledgment (ACK) signal, the clock control circuit 122 f enables the clock source 124 f, provides the clock signal to the IP block 200, and provides the acknowledgment (ACK) signal to the channel management circuit 130.

In this way, the clock control circuits 122 a, 122 b, 122 c, 122 d, 122 e, 122 f and 122 g operate in a manner of a full handshake (e.g., synchronous handshaking) by exchanging the clock request (REQ) signal and the acknowledgment (ACK) signal between the parent and the child. As a result, the clock control circuits 122 a, 122 b, 122 c, 122 d, 122 e, 122 f and 122 g control the clock sources 124 a, 124 b, 124 c, 124 d, 124 e, 124 f and 124 g in a hardware manner, and control the clock signal provided to the IP blocks 200 and 210.

The clock control circuits 122 a, 122 b, 122 c, 122 d, 122 e, 122 f and 122 g may independently operate to transmit the clock request (REQ) signal to the parent or control the clock sources 124 a, 124 b, 124 c, 124 d, 124 e, 124 f and 124 g, and may operate under the control of the clock management unit controller 110. In an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the clock control circuits 122 a, 122 b, 122 c, 122 d, 122 e, 122 f and 122 g include a finite state machine (FSM) which controls each of the clock sources 124 a, 124 b, 124 c, 124 d, 124 e, 124 f and 124 g based on the clock request (REQ) signal exchanged between the parent and the child.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 2, in the semiconductor device 1 according to the embodiment of the present inventive concept, the power management unit 300 transmits a power control command (CMD) to the clock management unit 110, in order to execute a power control operation of the IP blocks 200 and 210 and control the power state of the IP blocks 200 and 210. In an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, the power control command CMD includes a power-down command (D_REQ) to instruct the IP blocks 200 and 210 to enter the sleep mode. In an embodiment, the IP blocks 200 and 210 use less power in the sleep mode and more power in a normal mode. For example, during the sleep mode, the IP blocks may perform a lesser number of functions than in the normal mode.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, the IP block 200 and the IP block 210 have a master-slave relationship. In an embodiment, the IP block 200 is a master device and the IP block 210 is a slave device. In this case, the IP block 210 (i.e., the slave) enters the sleep mode only when the IP block 200 (e.g., the master) is in the sleep mode, and the IP block 200 wakes up (e.g., exits the sleep mode) only after the IP block 210 wakes up. The operations of the channel management circuit 130 of the IP block 200 and the channel management circuit 132 of the IP block 210 based on such a master-slave relationship will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5 in more detail below.

Upon receiving the power control command CMD from the power management unit 300, the clock management unit controller 110 controls the channel management circuits 130 and 132 based on the power control command CMD, and thereafter, the clock management unit controller 110 transmits the acknowledgment (ACK) signal to the power management unit 300.

In an exemplary embodiment, the clock management unit controller 110 transmits the power-down command (D_REQ) to the channel management circuit 130 in charge of the communication channel with the master IP block 200, and the channel management circuit 132 in charge of the communication channel with the slave IP block 210. Upon receiving the power-down command (D_REQ), the channel management circuits 130 and 132 set a value of QREQn to L regardless of the value of QACTIVE received from the IP blocks 200 and 210. The channel management circuits 130 and 132 know whether the IP blocks 200 and 210 have entered the sleep mode by checking that the value of QACCEPTn changes to L. In an embodiment, the power-down command (D_REQ) has a higher priority than a wake-up command that causes the IP blocks 200 and 210 to enter the wake-up mode (i.e., leave the sleep mode).

After the channel management circuits 130 and 132 complete the operation according to the power-down command (D_REQ), only the channel management circuit 130 transmits the acknowledgment (D_ACK) signal of the power-down command (D_REQ) to the clock management unit controller 110.

The channel management circuit 130 in charge of the communication channel with the master IP block 200 and the channel management circuit 132 in charge of the communication channel with the slave IP block 210 exchange a clock request (CLK_REQ) signal and an acknowledgment (CLK_ACK) signal to form a master-slave relationship.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining an exemplary operation of the semiconductor device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 3, the channel management circuits 130 and 132 have a running state (Q_RUN), a sleep mode entry state (Q_CLK_REQ), a sleep state (Q_STOPPED) and a sleep mode exit state (Q_EXIT).

When the idle condition for causing the IP blocks 200 and 210 to exit the running state (Q_RUN) is satisfied, the channel management circuits 130 and 132 are converted into the sleep mode entry state (Q_CLK_REQ) to set the value of QREQn to L. After that, after checking that the value of QACCEPTn received from the IP blocks 200 and 210 changes to L, the channel management circuits 130 and 132 are converted into the sleep state (Q_STOPPED).

Next, when the wakeup condition for waking up the IP blocks 200 and 210 is satisfied, the channel management circuits 130 and 132 are converted into the sleep mode exit state (Q_EXIT) to set the value of QREQn to H, and then, after checking that the value of QACCEPTn received from the IP blocks 200 and 210 changes to H, the channel management circuits 130 and 132 are converted into the running state (Q_RUN).

It should be noted that, since the channel management circuit 130 is in charge of the communication channel with the master IP block 200 and the channel management circuit 132 is in charge of the communication channel with the slave IP block 210, the channel management circuit 130 and the channel management circuit 132 also have a master-slave relationship. Accordingly, the following restrictions may occur.

In an exemplary embodiment, the channel management circuit 130 provides a signal (CLK_REQ=L) indicating that the supply of the clock signal is to be stopped to the channel management circuit 132 only when the channel management circuit 130 is converted to the sleep state (Q_STOPPED). In an embodiment, the channel management circuit 132 is not converted into the sleep mode entry state (Q_CLK_REQ) when the channel management circuit 130 continuously makes the clock request (CLK_REQ=H) and the idle condition is satisfied. Therefore, in order for the channel management circuit 132 to be converted to the sleep mode entry state (Q_CLK_REQ), the idle condition for causing the IP block 210 to enter the sleep mode needs to be satisfied, and at the same time, it is necessary to receive a signal (CLK_REQ=L) indicating that the clock signal is to be stopped, from the channel management circuit 130. For example, the slave IP block 210 enters the sleep mode only when the master IP block 200 is already in the sleep mode.

In an exemplary embodiment, the channel management circuit 132 sends a CLK_ACK=L to the channel management circuit 130 after receiving the CLK_REQ=L from the channel management circuit 130. In this embodiment, the channel management circuit 132 does not instruct the master IP block 200 to sleep until it receives an acknowledgement (e.g., CLK_ACK=L) from the channel management circuit 132 indicating that the slave IP block 210 has been instructed to sleep.

Further, when the channel management circuit 130 in the sleep state (Q_STOPPED) satisfies the wakeup condition, the channel management circuit 130 sends a clock request (CLK_REQ=H) to the channel management circuit 132, and is converted into the sleep mode exit state (Q_EXIT) only after receiving the acknowledgement (CLK_ACK=H) of the clock request (CLK_REQ=H) from the channel management circuit 132. When the channel management circuit 132 is in the sleep state (Q_STOPPED), even when the wakeup condition is not satisfied, if the clock request (CLK_REQ=H) is received from the channel management circuit 130, the channel management circuit 132 is immediately converted into the sleep mode exit state (Q_EXIT) and transmits the acknowledgement (CLK_ACK=H) to the channel management circuit 130. For example, the master IP block 200 wake ups only after the slave IP block 210 wakes up.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an exemplary operation of a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, and FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram for explaining an exemplary operation of a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 4, in an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, when an IP block includes a plurality of master IP blocks and a single slave IP block, a first circuit including a channel management circuit 410 in charge of a communication channel with the slave IP block receives a plurality of clock requests (CLK_REQ1, CLK_REQ2 and CLK_REQ3) from the channel management circuits 400, 402 and 404 in charge of the communication channels with the plurality of master IP blocks. For example, the first circuit may include an OR gate and the channel management circuit 410.

In this embodiment, the first circuit receives a plurality of clock requests (CLK_REQ1, CLK_REQ2 AND CLK_REQ3) and performs an OR logic operation on the plurality of clock requests (CLK_REQ1, CLK_REQ2 AND CLK_REQ3) to generate a single clock request (OR_CLK_REQ). In other words, when only one of the plurality of master IPs makes a clock request, the slave IP needs to wake up. For example, if CLK_REQ1 has a logic H, even if CLK_REQ2 and CLK_REQ3 are logic L, since they are OR′d with each other, the channel management circuit 410 will interpret the result as requiring that the slave IP wake up.

Referring to FIG. 5, in an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, if the IP block includes a single master IP block and a plurality of slave IP blocks, a second circuit including the channel management circuit 400 in charge of the communication channel with the master IP block receives a plurality of acknowledgements (CLK_ACK1, CLK_ACK2 and CLK_ACK3) from the channel management circuits 410, 412 and 414 which are in charge of the communication channel with the plurality of slave IP blocks. For example, the second circuit may include an AND gate and the channel management circuit 400.

In this embodiment, the second circuit receives a plurality of acknowledgements (CLK_ACK1, CLK_ACK2 and CLK_ACK3) and performs an AND logic operation on the plurality of acknowledgements (CLK_ACK1, CLK_ACK2 and CLK_ACK3) to generate a single acknowledgement (AND_CLK_ACK). For example, the master IP wakes up only when all the plurality of slave IPs wake up. For example, if any one of CLK_ACK1, CLK_ACK2, and CLK_ACK are logic L, since they are AND′d with each other, the channel management circuit 410 will interpret the result as not requiring that the master IP wake up.

FIG. 6 is a timing diagram for explaining an exemplary operation of the semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 6, the master IP block 200 that was in the running state (IP1=H) at T1 starts to enter the sleep mode at T2, and is converted into the sleep state (IP1=L) at T3. As a result, the channel management circuit 130 of the master IP block 200 provides a signal (CLK_REQ=L) indicating that the clock provision is to be stopped to the channel management circuit 132 of the slave IP block 210, thereby inducing the slave IP block 210 to enter the sleep mode.

As a result, the slave IP block 210 starts to enter the sleep mode at T4, and is converted to the sleep state (IP2=L) at T7. As described above, in order for the master IP block 200 to wake up later, the slave IP block 210 needs to first wake up.

However, when receiving the power-down command (D_REQ) from the clock management unit controller 110 at T6, while the slave IP block 210 enters the sleep mode in the intervals of T4 to T7, since the priority of the power-down command (D_REQ) is higher than the wakeup command received from the master IP block 200 (e.g., the clock request (CLK_REQ=H)), after T6, the channel management circuit 132 of the slave IP block 210 ignores the clock request (CLK_REQ) received from the channel management circuit 130 of the master IP block 200.

Therefore, when the master IP block 200 satisfies the wakeup condition at T5 and waits for the wake-up of the slave IP block 210 with the QACTIVE value being H, since the channel management circuit 132 of the of the slave IP block 210 ignores the clock request (CLK_REQ) received from the channel management circuit 130 of the master IP block 200, a deadlock in which both of the master IP block 200 and the slave IP block 210 do not wake up may occur.

FIGS. 7 and 8 are schematic diagrams for explaining a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, in order to prevent the occurrence of the deadlock described with reference to FIG. 6, in the semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, the channel management circuit 130 of the master IP block 200 transmits a grant signal (GRANT_D_REQ) to the channel management circuit 132 of the slave IP block 210. The grant signal (GRANT_D_REQ) is a signal for determining whether or not the channel management circuit 132 operates based on the power control command (e.g., the power-down command (D_REQ)) in consideration of the master-slave relationship.

In an exemplary embodiment, the channel management circuit 132 of the slave IP block 210 performs the power-down operation based on a signal derived from the power-down command (D_REQ) received from the clock management unit controller 110 and a grant signal (S_D_REQ) received from the channel management circuit 130 of the master IP block 200. For example, the channel management circuit 132 may include an AND gate shown in FIG. 8 that receives D_REQ and GRANT_D_REQ, and performs an AND logic operation on D_REQ and GRANT_D_REQ to obtain a grant signal (S_D_REQ).

As a result, in a situation where the slave IP block 210 receives the power-down command (D_REQ) from the clock management unit controller 110 but the master IP block 200 needs to wake up, the slave IP block 210 wakes up. In an exemplary embodiment, when the state in which the master IP block 200 can perform the power-down operation is transmitted to the slave IP block 210 as the grant signal (GRANT_D_REQ), the slave IP block 210 is subjected to a power-down by ensuring that the master IP block 200 does not wake up.

When the power-down of the IP blocks 200 and 210 has completed, only the channel management circuit 130 transmits the acknowledgement (D_ACK) of the power-down command (D_REQ) to the clock management unit controller 110.

FIG. 9 is a timing diagram for explaining an exemplary operation of the semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept.

Referring to FIG. 9, the master IP block 200 that was in the running state (IP1=H) at T1 starts to enter the sleep mode at T2 and is converted into the sleep state (IP1=L) at T3. As a result, the channel management circuit 130 of the master IP block 200 provides a signal to the channel management circuit 132 of the slave IP block 210 (CLK_REQ=L) that indicates the clock provision is to be stopped, and induces the slave IP block 210 to enter the sleep mode.

As a result, the slave IP block 210 starts to enter the sleep mode at T4 and is converted into the sleep state (IP2=L) at T7. As described above, in order for the master IP block 200 to wake up later, the slave IP block 210 needs to first wake up.

When receiving the power-down command (D_REQ) from the clock management unit controller 110 at T6 while the slave IP block 210 enters the sleep mode in the intervals T4 to T7, the priority of the power-down command (D_REQ) is higher than the wakeup command received from the master IP block 200 (e.g., the clock request (CLK_REQ=H)). However, since the channel management circuit 130 does not transmit the grant signal (GRANT_D_REQ) to the channel management circuit 130, after T6, the channel management circuit 132 of the slave IP block 210 does not ignore the clock request (CLK_REQ) received from the channel management circuit 130 of the master IP block 200.

Therefore, when the master IP block 200 satisfies the wakeup condition at T5 and waits for the wake-up of the slave IP block 210 with the QACTIVE value being H, the channel management circuit 132 of the slave IP block 210 wakes up from the interval of T9 to T10, based on the clock request (CLK_REQ) received from the channel management circuit 130 of the master IP block 200.

After that, in the channel management circuit 130, after the grant signal (GRANT_D_REQ) is transmitted to the channel management circuit 132 at T11, the power-down operation of the slave IP block 210 is performed.

FIGS. 10 and 11 are schematic diagrams for explaining a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept.

Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11, in order to prevent the occurrence of the deadlock described with reference to FIG. 6, in the semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept, the channel management circuit 132 of the slave IP block 210 receives the QACTIVE signal (the first active signal) transmitted to the channel management circuit 130 from the master IP block 200.

The present embodiment is based on a master-slave relationship where the restriction that the slave IP block 210 needs to wake up first before wakeup of the master IP block 200 is relaxed. As a result, each of the channel management circuits 130 and 132 receives the power-down commands (D_REQ1 and D_REQ2) from the clock management unit controller 110, and transmits the acknowledgements (D_ACK1 and D_ACK2) to the clock management unit 110 after the power-down has executed.

In an exemplary embodiment, the channel management circuit 132 of the slave IP block 210 performs the power-down operation based on the QACTIVE signal (the first active signal) transmitted to the channel management circuit 130 from the master IP block 200 and the QACTIVE signal (the second active signal) received from the slave IP block 210. For example, the channel management circuit performs the power-down operation based on a signal (S_QACTIVE) obtained by performing an OR logic operation on the QACTIVE signal (the first active signal) transmitted to the channel management circuit 130 from the master IP block 200 and the QACTIVE signal (the second active signal) received from the slave IP block 210. For example, the channel management circuit 132 may include an OR gate shown in FIG. 11 that performs the OR operation.

As a result, in a situation where the slave IP block 210 receives the power-down command (D_REQ) from the clock management unit controller 110 but the master IP block 200 needs to wake up, the slave IP block wakes up.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram for explaining a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 12 differs from FIG. 7 in that the power management unit 300 directly transmits the power-down command (D_REQ) to the channel management circuits 130 and 132 in order to perform the power control operation of the IP blocks 200 and 210 and control the power state of the IP blocks 200 and 210.

As a result, the channel management circuit 132 of the slave IP block 210 performs the power-down operation, based on the power-down command (D_REQ) received from the power management unit 300 and the grant signal (GRANT_D_REQ) received from the channel management circuit 130 of the master IP block 200. For example, the channel management circuit performs the power-down operation based on the signal (S_D_REQ) obtained by performing the AND logic operation on the power-down command (D_REQ) received from the power management unit 300 and the grant signal (GRANT_D_REQ) received from the channel management circuit 130 of the master IP block 200.

Therefore, in a situation where the slave IP block 210 receives the power-down command (D_REQ) from the power management unit 300 but the master IP block 200 needs to wake up, the slave IP block 210 wakes up. In an exemplary embodiment, when the state in which the master IP block 200 can perform the power-down operation is transmitted to the slave IP block 210 as a grant signal (GRANT_D_REQ), the power-down of the slave IP block 210 is performed by ensuring that the master IP block 200 does not wake up.

When the power-down of the IP blocks 200 and 210 has completed, only the channel management circuit 130 transmits the acknowledgement (D_ACK) of the power-down command (D_REQ) to the power management unit 300.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram for explaining a semiconductor device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present inventive concept.

FIG. 13 differs from FIG. 10 in that the power management unit 300 directly transmits the power-down command (D_REQ) to the channel management circuits 130 and 132 in order to perform the power control operation of the IP blocks 200 and 210 and control the power state of the IP blocks 200 and 210.

Each of the channel management circuits 130 and 132 receives the power-down commands (D_REQ1 and D_REQ2) from the power management unit 300, and transmits the acknowledgements (D-ACk1 and D_ACK2) to the power management unit 300, after power-down has been performed.

The channel management circuit 132 of the slave IP block 210 performs a power-down operation based on the QACTIVE signal (the first active signal) transmitted to the channel management circuit 130 from the master IP block 200 and the QACTIVE signal (the second active signal) received from the slave IP block 210. For example, the channel management circuit 132 performs the power-down operation based on the signal (S_QACTIVE) obtained by performing the OR logic operation on the QACTIVE signal (the first active signal) transmitted to the channel management circuit 130 from the master IP block 200 and the QACTIVE signal (the second active signal) received from the slave IP block 210.

Accordingly, in a situation where the slave IP block 210 receives the power-down command (D_REQ) from the clock management unit controller 110 but the master IP block 200 needs to wake up, the slave IP block wakes up.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a semiconductor system to which the semiconductor device and the method of operating the semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present inventive concept are applicable.

Referring to FIG. 14, the semiconductor system includes a semiconductor device (SoC) 1, a processor 10, a memory device 20, a display device 30, a network device 40, a storage device 50 and an input/output device 60. The semiconductor device (SoC) 1, the processor 10, the memory device 20, the display device 30, the network device 40, the storage device 50 and the input/output device 60 may transmit and receive data with one another via a bus 70.

The IP blocks inside the semiconductor device (SoC) 1 described in various embodiments of the present disclosure includes at least one of a memory controller which controls the memory device 20, a display controller which controls the display device 30, a network controller which controls the network device 40, a storage controller which controls the storage device 50, and an input/output controller which controls the input/output device 60. The semiconductor system may further include an additional processor 10 which controls these devices.

FIGS. 15 to 17 are exemplary semiconductor systems to which the semiconductor device and the method of operating the semiconductor device according to some embodiments of the present inventive concept are applicable.

FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating a tablet personal computer (PC) 1200, FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a laptop computer 1300, and FIG. 17 illustrates a smartphone 1400. The semiconductor device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be used within the tablet PC 1200, the laptop computer 1300, or the smartphone 1400. However, the inventive concept is not limited thereto, as the semiconductor device may also be used within various other devices and integrated circuit devices not illustrated.

In some embodiments of the present inventive concept, the semiconductor system may be provided as a computer, as an ultra mobile PC (UMPC), a workstation, a net-book, a personal digital assistants (PDA), a portable computer, a wireless phone, a mobile phone, an e-book reader, a portable multimedia player (PMP), a portable game machine, a navigation device, a black box, a digital camera, a three-dimensional television, a digital audio recorder, a digital audio player, a digital picture recorder, a digital picture player, a digital video recorder, or a digital video player.

While the inventive concept has been particularly illustrated and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and detail may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present inventive concept. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A system on chip (SoC) comprising: a plurality of intellectual property (IP) blocks; and a clock management unit (CMU) configured to perform clock gating on at least one of the IP blocks, wherein the CMU is configured to communicate with one of the IP blocks through a Q-channel interface; wherein the one of the IP blocks is configured to communicate, with the CMU, the one of the IP blocks desires to enter a sleep mode or an active mode; wherein the CMU is configured to send an acknowledgement to the one of the IP blocks and stop providing a clock signal to the one of the IP blocks in response to a communication indicating that the one of the IP blocks desires to enter the sleep mode, wherein the CMU comprises: a control circuit outputting a control signal and an acknowledgement signal in response to the communication; and a clock source outputting the clock signal in response to the control signal.
 2. The SoC of claim 1, wherein the Q-channel interface comprises a request signal.
 3. The SoC of claim 1, wherein the Q-channel interface comprises an accept signal.
 4. The SoC of claim 1, wherein the Q-channel interface comprises an active signal.
 5. The SoC of claim 1, wherein the Q-channel interface comprises a QREQ signal, a QACCEPT signal, or a QACTIVE signal.
 6. The SoC of claim 1, wherein the CMU further comprises clock components configured to generate a clock signal to be provided to the plurality of the IP blocks.
 7. The SoC of claim 6, wherein the CMU further comprises a plurality of channel management circuits which are disposed between the clock components and the plurality of the IP blocks to provide a communication channel between the CMU and the plurality of the IP blocks.
 8. The SoC of claim 6, wherein each of the clock components comprises a clock source and a clock control circuit that control the clock source.
 9. The SoC of claim 8, wherein the clock source comprises a multiplexing circuit, a clock dividing circuit, a short stop circuit, or a clock gating circuit.
 10. The SoC of claim 1, wherein the CMU comprises a controller receiving a first signal from a crystal oscillator and a second signal from a phase locked loop (PLL), and providing one of the received signals as an output clock signal.
 11. The SoC of claim 1, wherein the CMU comprises: a multiplexer receiving an internal clock signal and an external clock signal, and providing one of the received clock signals as an output clock signal.
 12. The SoC of claim 1, wherein the CMU comprises: a frequency dividing circuit dividing an input clock signal to generate a divided clock signal, and providing the divided clock signal as an output clock signal.
 13. A system on chip (SoC) comprising: a plurality of intellectual property (IP) blocks; and a clock management unit (CMU) performing clock gating on at least one of the IP blocks, wherein the CMU transmits a request signal to the one of the IP blocks; wherein the one of the IP blocks transmits an accept signal to the CMU and the accept signal indicates whether the one of the IP blocks desires to enter a selected one of a sleep mode and an active mode; wherein the CMU outputs a clock signal to the one of the IP blocks in response to a logic value of the accept signal.
 14. The SoC of claim 13, wherein a Q-channel interface through which the CMU is configured to communicate with one of the IP blocks comprises a receive signal.
 15. The SoC of claim 13, wherein a Q-channel interface through which the CMU is configured to communicate with one of the IP blocks comprises an accept signal.
 16. The SoC of claim 13, wherein a Q-channel interface through which the CMU is configured to communicate with one of the IP blocks comprises an active signal.
 17. The SoC of claim 13, wherein a Q-channel interface through which the CMU is configured to communicate with one of the IP blocks comprises a QREQ signal, a QACCEPT signal, or a QACTIVE signal.
 18. The SoC of claim 13, wherein the CMU further comprises clock components configured to generate a clock signal to be provided to the plurality of the IP blocks.
 19. The SoC of claim 18, wherein the CMU further comprises a plurality of channel management circuits which are disposed between the clock components and the plurality of the IP blocks to provide a communication channel between the clock management unit and the plurality the IP blocks.
 20. The SoC of claim 18, wherein each of the clock components comprises a clock source and a clock control circuit that control the clock source.
 21. The SoC of claim 20, wherein the clock source comprises a multiplexing circuit, a clock dividing circuit, a short stop circuit, or a clock gating circuit.
 22. The SoC of claim 13, wherein the CMU comprises a controller receiving a first signal from a crystal oscillator and a second signal from a phase locked loop (PLL), and providing one of the received signals as an output clock signal.
 23. The SoC of claim 13, wherein the CMU comprises: a multiplexer receiving an internal clock signal and an external clock signal, and providing one of the received clock signals as an output clock signal.
 24. The SoC of claim 13, wherein the CMU comprises: a frequency dividing circuit dividing an input clock signal to generate a divided clock signal, and providing the divided clock signal as an output clock signal.
 25. The SoC of claim 13, wherein the CMU comprises: a control circuit outputting a control signal and an acknowledgement signal in response to the request signal; and a clock source outputting the clock signal in response to the control signal. 